ISLAMABAD, April 18: The three Hindu women who embraced Islam and were married to Muslims requested their custodians, the Sindh police, to hand them over to their husbands in Islamabad. They made the request at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport from where they were to be flown to Karachi after the Supreme Court allowed them to ‘live with their free will’.

Sources told Dawn that the women, along with Sindh police officials, were scheduled to leave for Karachi at 9pm after it had been decided that they would be handed over to their husbands in Karachi.

But Rinkal Kumari (Faryal Bibi), Dr Lata Kumari (Hafsa) and Aasha Devi (Haleema Bibi) created a scene at the airport and refused to board the plane. They insisted that their custody be given to their husbands in Islamabad.

According to the sources, the women were taken back to Islamabad by some officials of the Sindh police.

The other officials left for Karachi. Police decided against handing over the women to their husbands openly for the sake of their safety.

“The media and other people are following the girls and watching the development closely. Police may hand over the women to their husbands at late night or early hours of Thursday,” the sources said.— Staff Reporter